Staffing

I recently read a book that listed these reasons for a person not being in the right positions.  The bottom line is that if a person is not in the right seat on the bus, it is an issue with the leadership of the organization.  It is their job to identify that and do whatever is necessary to help people find their sweet spot.

1.  Lack of Knowledge – The leadership doesn’t know enough about the details of the position to decide if the person is a good fit or not.

2.  Lack of Courage – The leadership doesn’t have the courage to make the necessary changes.

3.  The Psychological Comfort Factor – The leadership will not make the changes because it enjoys the comfort of everything remaining the same.

4.  Bottom Line:  Lack of Personal Commitment – The leadership is not as committed as they believe they are.  If they were, they would make the changes required to go to the next level. 

At Freedom Church, our team believes that what God has called us to do is far bigger than any one individual.  This principles were a good reminder to me that in order for us to see a revolutionary movement of God in this city, we are going to have to be 100% committed to the vision.

I just finished reading Execution:  The Discipline of Getting Things Done.  To be honest, it was quite boring.  However, it was filled with good foundational business principles.

One of the hiring concepts that it mentioned was how to determine what kind of people you are looking for.  The book made the case that we often look at someone’s credentials, but we miss a key factor.  We never look at how that person is at getting things done.  Doesn’t matter if they can talk a good game, they have to be able to get stuff done. 

Here are some of the qualities that we should look for when hiring:

1.  Does the person energize people? – Some leaders drain energy from people, others create it.

2.  Are they decisive on tough issues? – They must be able to make difficult decisions quickly and act on them.

3.  Do they get things done through others? – They must be bringing others along on the journey with them.

4.  Do they follow-through?  It takes discipline to do this.  It is vital to executing.

Obviously, we didn’t discuss any of the spiritual side of hiring in this post.  However, that is of utmost  importance.

I’ve never worked harder.  I’ve never felt so inadequate to do what I’m doing.  I’ve never felt like I had so far to go.  I’ve never felt like there was so much I didn’t know.

On the flip side of this… I’ve never enjoyed my job more.  I’ve never had the opportunities that I now have to learn from some of the sharpest church leaders in America.  I’ve never felt like I have come so far.  I’ve never had a desire to learn and grow more.

All this to say, I stinkin’ love what I get to do everyday.  I wouldn’t trade places with anyone!

As I watched the NBA finals last week, I was constantly reminded about the importance of having a good team around you.  This year was a classic example.

-On one side, you had the LA Lakers.  LA is fortunate to have (probably) the best player in the league in Kobe Bryant.  He doesn’t seem to miss, especially with the game on the line.  The problem with the team is that there is no supporting cast there.  It all rises and falls on Kobe.

-On the other side was the Boston Celtics.  There is probably no one on the team that could play with Kobe one-on-one.  However, they had more supporting cast members.  On any given night, anyone on the team could lead the team statistically.  When someone was having a bad night, there was always someone there to pick up the slack.

It made me grateful for the team that we have at Freedom Church.  We have a staff and partners that are passionate about seeing God do His thing in Acworth.  We realize that it is going to take each person doing their part to reach this city. 

I can’t wait to blog about what God is going to do in and through Freedom Church in the coming weeks, months, and years.  It is an honor for me to be a part of what God is going to do in this city.